What We Get to do Together!

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Not long ago I was asked: So, what does the “synod” do for us anyway? I was reminded of how Presiding Bishop Eaton addressed that inquiry some years ago when she said: That’s the wrong question. The question is what do we get to do together as the church?


What do we get to do together as Christ’s Church here in the Rocky Mountain Synod? Your Synod Council engaged that question at our meeting in early February and affirmed some exciting directions for our shared life as fellow members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in this part of God’s world.



n  Together, we get to celebrate the generosity of congregations and individuals that help fuel our ministry. The Council heard updates about Stewardship for All Seasons and the fruits it is yielding in many of the congregations that have engaged in this collaborative opportunity to grow in gratitude. We also celebrated that our Synod Mission Support for 2018 exceeded our expectations, growing by 2.1% over last year and allowing us to be generous with our Churchwide ministries. The Council approved increasing our Mission Support share with our Churchwide ministries from 47% to 47.5% in 2019.



n  Together, we get to grow as leaders in Christ’s Church. In the fall of this year we plan to launch Excellence in Leadership, a comprehensive leadership development initiative that has been “under construction” for the last few years, and whose desire is to form courageous, resilient and faithful leaders who are better equipped to build courageous, resilient, and faithful communities of faith, for the sake of the world. It is the vision of this initiative that pastors, deacons, leaders of congregations and other ministries will all be equipped to exercise wise, mature, emotionally intelligent leadership in the many settings of their lives. Stay tuned for details!



n  Together, we get to expand our vision for outdoor ministry through Messiah Mountain Retreat Center. Through the generosity of Messiah Community Church (Denver) a 28 acre retreat site in the Denver foothills that has been stewarded by Messiah congregation for 60 years is in the process of being gifted to us as the Rocky Mountain Synod. The Council is exploring how this amazing asset can be renovated and designed for the spiritual life and faith formation needs of all, especially our adults.

n  Together, we get to conclude our Educate, Equip, Enact (3E) initiative and apply for a new Lilly Grant. The Council celebrated the many ways our three-year, $500,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment has impacted the lives of our rostered ministers and congregations through grants to pastors and deacons to address economic challenges and opportunities, through stewardship training in congregations, through opportunities to have new kinds of conversations about money and church. In August of 2019 we will apply for a second Lilly grant (up to $500,000) to continue and expand our work, recognizing Lilly’s challenge that requires matching this grant dollar for dollar.

n  Together, we get to claim our distinctive ELCA gifts within the larger church so that our grace-centered gospel experience informs our engagement with the world. The Council affirmed the importance of deepening our appreciation for our own ELCA identity as we address critical challenges of our day including poverty and hunger, racism, marginalization, immigration, and our relationship to the native peoples of this continent. Our goal is to grow in our capacity to access our distinctive gifts as we respond in faith to these and other challenges.


n  Together we get to support new and innovative ministry as we live into being the church we are called to become. The Council approved funding for three new campus ministry pilot sites as well as a “holy innovation” ministry with homeless neighbors in Aurora CO. Recognizing that our capacity to fund new ministries and support revitalization is limited by existing mission funds, we are asking the question of how to build our resources so that we can offer our witness to the gospel when and where it is most needed.


When I consider what we get to do together as the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod in proclaiming and embodying God’s unconditional love for the sake of the world, I am filled with hope, gratitude and inspiration. Thanks be to God for this amazing opportunity to be Christ’s Church, Better Together!

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